Kyle Shanahan responded strongly to the rumors surrounding Dre Greenlaw’s future with the 49ers.
The San Francisco coach was asked Wednesday what he thought about recent social media posts indicating Greenlaw knows he won't re-sign with the 49ers in NFL free agency this offseason.
“No, we don’t even know [what Greenlaw’s future will be] yet,” Shanahan told reporters in his end-of-season press conference. “We haven’t spent much time together yet. I’ve had two days of exit interviews with players and coaches. Players don’t know either and that’s what’s hard for players.
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“They’re under contract, they know when their contract is going to run out and that’s an emotional time for players, for their families, their wives, girlfriends, whoever it is. It’s just like it is with coaches, I can’t tell them exactly what their future will be the day the season ends. That’s tied to a lot of other people.”
Earlier in the week, an ominous social media post from linebacker Fred Warner’s wife, Sydney, strongly implied that the 49ers would be parting ways with Greenlaw this summer.
@sydwarner_ Were all in shambles honestly 😩#sanfrancisco49ers #freeagency #nflfootball #nflfootball #nflwives #nflplayoffs ♬ πρωτότυπος ήχος - Spiros Zorpidis
Shanahan has been there before, and understands the uncertainty NFL players and coaches face after the season concludes.
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“I’ve been on that side and I know wives are texting you all day asking what the deal is and they don’t believe that you don’t really have an answer yet,” Shanahan said. “And I know what they look like when you walk in the door and they’re like, ‘What are we doing with our lives,’ and you’re like, ‘I don’t really know.’ There’s a lot of things you want to solve so fast for people that it’s stressful for people sitting in our chairs. But you can’t solve everything at once.
“We’re doing everything we can to bring Greenlaw back. We’re not into losing really good players who are unbelievable people.”
The linebacker is one of the most well-liked players on the defense, and his teammates have been very vocal about their desire for him to return next season. Still, the cutthroat nature of the NFL, where contracts are not guaranteed, means it’s a possibility Greenlaw will have to find another team once free agency begins.
While Shanahan and John Lynch would love to keep him, there’s only so much money to go around, considering how much the franchise has invested in Nick Bosa, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk in recent years.